Omaha, NE – Cancer researchers at Creighton University are beginning a study on prostate cancer in African-American men.

Creighton's Hereditary Cancer Center and Jackson State University in Mississippi are partnering for the study. Dr. Henry Lynch, Director of the Cancer Center, says the goal is to determine the risk of prostate cancer based on family history. He says they also hope to develop new tools for preventing prostate cancer.

Lynch says the link between genetics and prostate cancer in black men isn't widely studied. "I can't emphasize its importance enough, because it occurs twice as frequently in African-American males as it does in Caucasian males. And soberingly, the outlook is often much poorer in the African-Americans than it is in their Caucasian counterparts." While it's not entirely clear why, Lynch believes disparities in access to health care are a factor.

Creighton needs 300 black men for the study who've had prostate cancer within the past five years. The Jackson State University portion of the study will include 500 African-American men.